Social Media Value Creation Practices and Interactivity of Electronic Word of Mouth Systems

The main drivers of value creation in a ‘brand community’ are social networking, community engagement, impression management, and brand use. Marketers are therefore interested in determining which factors affect the value creation practices. This study examines the impact of the Interactivity of Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) systems on value creation practices in a brand community, which in turn influences the loyalty of the customers. In this regard, a conceptual model was developed and tested by the researchers of the current study. The results indicate that perceptions of the users regarding the interactivity of EWOM systems, highly impact only three of the four value creation practices including community engagement practices, impression management practices, and brand use practices. Furthermore, the researchers found that collective value creation practices could significantly and directly enhance brand loyalty. Several theoretical contributions and managerial implications were also discussed.